Illuminating means



E. I. DODDS.

ILLUMI'NATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY25| 19]].

Patented July 26, 1921.

.PAENT OFFICE.

ETHAN I. DODDS, OF EITTSIBURGH, PENNSYLVAEIIA, ASSIGNOR TO FLANNERY BOLT COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

I mumnmrmo means.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I ETHAN I. Donns, a citizen of the United tates, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of-Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminating Means; and I do hereby de-- care the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in illuminating means and more particularly to lamps,the object of the invention being to provide a simple and efiicient lamp which shall be so constructed as to provide a cold light and especially useful for providing a moderate illumination in a room, or a cabin or other part of a ship, such as in a submarine.

A further object is to provide a lamp in which the light giving element is such as ma be energized, activated, or caused to absor light periodically by means of a source of li ht caused to appear for limited lengths of time within the. inclosure of the lamp, and to provide a portion of the light giving material with an element which will render the same permanently active and luminous and also serve, to a more or less limited degree, to tend to energize the major portion of said material. 7

With these and other objects in view, the

invention. consists in certaln novel features,

of construction as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a sectional view of a lamp embod ing our invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view; igs. 3, 4 and 5 are views showing modifications.

1 represents a globe which may have a general spherical shape and formed at its top with a mouth portion 2 which may be received by any suitable lamp body or bracket for supporting the globe 1 and its contents.

An inner globe 3 is disposed within the globe '1 and is made with a closed bottom 4 and an open mouth portion 5,-the latter being supported by the mouth portion 2 of the outer globe and may be fused thereto so as to provide a chamber between the two globes which may be exhausted if desired.

Before the two globes are assembled, the inner surface of the outer globe is coated Specification of Letters Patent. .Patent d J l 26 192 Application filed July 25,

1917. Serial No. 182,744.v

with a luminous material,viz. a phosphorescent material "which has the property of absorbing'light and then emitting the light so absorbed. The material which may be employed for the major portion 6 of the coating may comprise such material as zinc or calcium sulfid and preferably an infinitesimal amount of radioactive material, such as a salt of radium. A small portion 7 of the luminating material in the bottom of the globe may comprise the same ingredients as those of the coating 6, but with a sufficiently greater proportion of radium salt to render the same permanently luminous and so that the rays or emanations from the body or mass 7 of the coating will serve, not only to afford a permanently luminous spot on the globe, but also to a more or less limited degree to activate the main portion 6 of the coating.

A source of light such as an electric lamp 8 is located within the inner globe 3, and by lighting said lamp 8 at intervals and for limited periods of time, the coating of luminous material will be activated or energized and the coating and consequentl the lobe will be caused to glow with a su cient rilliancy to illuminate a surrounding area for ordinary purposes where a moderate, is desirable.

Instead of applying a single mass of permanently lummous material 7 centrally in the bottom of the globe 1' as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, we may provide several masses or spots 9 of such material as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Instead of coating the interior of the outer globe with luminous material, such coating may be applied to the exterior of the inner globe 3, and the permanently luminous portion or mass of the coating will be located inthe bottom of the inner globe 3.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is z- 1. Illuminating means comprising a globe having a coating therein of phosphorescent material, a portion of said coating consistin of phosphorescent I material combined with radioactive material in sufficient quantity to'render said portion of the coating permanently luminous. v

2. Illuminating means comprising a globe, a coating therein of phosphorescent material, a separate portion of said coating havcold light ing radioactive material incorporated therein in suflicient quantity to render such por-- tion of the coating permanently luminous, and a source of light within said globe for activating or energizing said coating to enhance the luminosity thereof.

3. Illuminating means comprising two globes one within the other, a source of light within the inner globe, and one of said globes having a coating of phosphorescent material,

a portion of said coating having radioactive material incorporated therein in sufiicient quantity to render such portion of the coating permanently luminous.

4. Illuminating means comprising two therein to render the same permanently luminous.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' ETHAN I. DODDS. Witnesses:

CHAS. E. RIORDAN, G. F. DOWNING. 

